


Walk Through Purgatory

by littlesparrow33



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bad Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends, M/M, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22139428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesparrow33/pseuds/littlesparrow33
Summary: Somewhere in Purgatory, Benny went from being a vampire to being a friend. These are moments where that friendship began to grow and something unacknowledged along with it.Set pre-season 8. Some liberties taken, but not necessarily AU.
Relationships: Benny Lafitte/Dean Winchester
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	Walk Through Purgatory

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having such a hard time _finishing_ stories lately that I'm actually a little amazed I feel ready to post this one. Still determined to add more Dean/Benny fics, though, so I've got more on the heat to try to finish soon (I'll consider it a NY resolution). Hope it suits!
> 
> My fics are only seen by my eyes, so any and all mistakes are mine. Some dialogue was taken directly from the show to keep it in canon.

“Well, hey, either you’re in or you’re out.”

The sole human stuck in Purgatory echoed Benny’s words right back at him and the vampire couldn’t help but smile. This man had sass and Benny could appreciate that.

“Let’s do this,” Benny agreed, and the man nodded curtly. With their accord in place, it was time for a more proper introduction. “I’m Benny Lafitte.”

The man gave him a considering look before replying, “Dean Winchester.” He glanced around before refocusing on Benny. “Have you heard anything about where the angel might be?”

Benny nodded behind the other man. “Last I heard from the rumor mill, he was back that way.”

Dean stepped to the side and gestured for Benny to lead the way. The vampire supposed he could understand that, seeing as he’d just advised the hunter not to trust anyone. Just as well, Benny was already taking a gamble on this human and it would be a long way to go from here. He could make some pretense that he’d be trustworthy.

They started off in the direction that Benny had indicated. Not hearing any monsters nearby, Benny looked over at the human. “So, what brings a human down here?” The hunter ignored him and that wasn’t very amusing. “C’mon, chief. It’s a simple question.”

A hard look from Dean. “Do you need your tongue to lead us to the portal?”

Benny smirked back at him. “Not a conversationalist. Duly noted.”

A few days later with just as few words and Benny realized that this would be a longer way to go than he’d thought.

~ ~ ~

Benny had said that the hunter shouldn’t trust anyone in Purgatory but even the vampire was surprised at how paranoid the other man was.

As a full flesh-and-blood body, Benny had expected Dean to need sleep and maybe crash out now and then. But as they trooped along on the hunt for his angel, it seemed that the hunter had already adjusted to the never-ending fight for survival that was Purgatory. He hid any tiredness he felt in their searching and fighting, and it was only after a couple weeks of close study that Benny learned to spot the small signs of exhaustion: the crows-feet deepening around the man’s eyes, the slight hitch in his gait, and how Dean acted even more squirrelly than usual despite the fading energy. But Purgatory was still the weirdest damn place Benny had ever known because the human seemed to gain a second wind every time and stayed awake like all the other monster souls down here.

One might think that Benny’s intense scrutiny would allow him to take down the other man at any point. However, as paranoid as Dean was in general, he was most wary of Benny. The vampire had only seen Dean’s back facing him twice and that was only when they were well apart. And Benny may have been surprised at intensity of the other man’s caution, but he respected it. Showed that the hunter was smart behind that handsome face and Benny could appreciate the practicality of it. He did wonder from time to time if Dean even believed him about the portal, but he couldn’t think of many other reasons to keep a vampire as a tagalong either. It puzzled Benny, but at least it gave him something to think about between fights with Purgatory’s other residents.

Dean was wiping off his blade after their latest tussle with some sort of creature that looked like a large walking bat. It apparently didn’t speak, otherwise the hunter would have interrogated it, and Dean just made a disgusted face as he wiped his blade on the dirt. Benny was looking around for any other monsters when Dean initiated a conversation.

“Another friend of yours?”

“What?” Benny was a little startled and he wrinkled his nose at the ugly corpse. “That thing? Don’t even rightly know what it was.”

Dean gave a small shrug accompanied by an odd smirk. “A giant batman. Some legends say that’s what you vamps turn into.”

Benny looked at the hunter with a mix of amusement and confusion. “If that’s what we’d really look like, I’m glad that’s just a tall tale.”

The hunter’s lips quirked up and he gestured for Benny to start moving again without another word. Benny started walking but paced himself to move side by side so that he could observe the other man. Dean allowed it but kept a careful distance.

Benny watched Dean’s face, trying to parse out what the hunter had been trying to accomplish after weeks of speaking the bare minimum. It wasn’t very friendly chatter, given how short it was, and Dean didn’t seem any more relaxed than before. But there was something in his expression that looked…satisfied. Like he’d just scratched an itch that’d been bothering him. It took a while before Benny had an inkling of an idea: maybe the vampire wasn’t trusted or cared about, but some very basic human needs did include having someone around for company. It dawned on Benny that before he’d joined Dean as a constant companion, the hunter might’ve been lonely. After fifty years, Benny didn’t remember what that felt like so much, but as soon as he’d thought it, he wondered why it hadn’t occurred to him before. Dean was literally the only human in this world and that had to be an alienating experience. Especially with most of the neighborhood trying to attack or eat him.

The vampire smiled, noting Dean’s cautious glance at the change in expression though he didn’t make any comment. Even if Dean didn’t fully believe in the portal, Benny was still of use to the hunter in one capacity and that was somehow reassuring. He only hoped Dean would still consider him necessary after they found the angel.

~ ~ ~

“Where’s the angel?” Dean growled at the shapeshifter under his blade.

The creature looked a mess from the beating delivered by the hunter. Though sinewy and bloodier than it would’ve been up top, the shapeshifter was still humanoid and could talk, if Dean would make it. Taking the blade seriously, the monster croaked out, “Saw it a week ago, back the other way.” It rolled its eyes to the right.

Dean pressed the blade a little closer, making the shapeshifter squeak. After a moment, Dean looked back at Benny. “Think this sucker is lying?”

The vampire realized that this was a test. Dean had never asked for Benny’s assistance before and he certainly had his own skills in drawing the truth out of the monsters they’d encountered. Benny didn’t know what prompted it, but he knew that he’d have to deliver or he’d be creating some serious friction in their partnership. “This one ain’t lyin’.”

The hunter hummed and slid his blade a little, drawing some blood from the creature.

“Not lying! He’s that way.” The shapeshifter looked to the right again.

“OK,” the man replied calmly and sliced its throat. Dean stood up after wiping the blade quickly on the ground and motioned for he and Benny to move to the right. His expression didn’t give anything away and Benny admired that. This hunter wasn’t ordinary in any fashion. He was determined and focused, and there was something a bit dark to him, which showed by how efficiently he interrogated the monsters that they ran into. But even so, Benny caught glimpses of a different sort of man underneath the harsh exterior and the blood he wore. Dean’s eyes weren’t just focused, they were also curious about their surroundings. He took the time to puzzle over what types of creatures were down here, since they didn’t all necessarily resemble what they looked like above. And there was even a time or two that Benny saw an amused smile on his lips that the hunter tried to hold back at the most random times, so that the vampire had a hard time guessing what was funny.

It was probably unwise, but Benny was beginning to like this hunter. He’d liked him from the start—for several reasons, actually—but now that he was beginning to know the man better, Benny was willing to admit to himself that it was more than a superficial feeling. And it made him bolder, too.

“Why look for the angel?” Benny asked, keeping his tone mild so that Dean would know he wasn’t trying to pick a fight.

The hunter gave him a hard stare but seemed willing to respond for a change. Maybe he was missing real conversation. “I’m getting him out of here.”

Benny’s lips quirked. That was rather on point, since Benny had made it clear that he thought this was a useless errand. It wasn’t likely the full story, though, and they’d reached a point where Benny wanted to push. “ _You_ will be getting him out of here? Then you don’t think the angel can spring you from this place?”

Dean’s flat look said more than any reply would and Benny was at least glad to know that Dean hadn’t written off the portal idea. But Benny had another question.

“Why help an angel in the first place?”

That got Dean’s eyebrows to furrow slightly. “He’s a friend.”

Now _that_ was interesting and more of a surprise. “It’s been two months,” Benny noted slowly. “Did you land here together?” He thought so, since he heard rumors of both the angel and the human begin at the same time, but he’d had little interest in the angel, personally.

Dean nodded with a jerk of his head. “We got separated.”

Benny wanted to smile, since that was the only information that Dean had ever volunteered to him, but that response was a puzzle in itself. “How’d that happen?”

The hunter was quiet as they walked the next few yards, but eventually explained, “Landed in the middle of some amped-up monster wolves. Had to start fighting right off the bat and I couldn’t find him after.”

Now that wasn’t all there was to it, Benny was sure, but it was hard to tell by Dean’s tight expression. “Thought angels were supposed to be pretty powerful.”

“So?”

“Hard to imagine some measly wolves getting between you,” Benny commented and raised his hands when Dean sent him a harsh glare. “Just an observation, chief.” The other man gritted his teeth, and this was the most obvious he’d been about his irritation to date. It was satisfying to prompt such a strong expression in those green eyes and Benny considered that this was going to cause more trouble than he’d thought.

“Shit happens, but we’re gonna find him and get him out of here,” Dean stated, casting a challenging look at the vampire.

“As you say,” Benny conceded, not backtracking on his opinion in the slightest. It was awfully suspicious to his eyes, but apparently Dean was serious about the whole “friend”-thing, given how defensive he was acting. He couldn’t quite decide if Dean was being willingly blind or if he just had that much faith in his friend. Based on their search so far, Benny would bet on the latter. It was certainly a commitment: Benny figured most humans would be pissing themselves left and right at being stuck in Purgatory, but the hunter seemed to thrive under pressure and never lost his focus.

They continued walking, on the alert for monsters, when Dean decided to keep talking. “How long you been down here?”

“Fifty years,” Benny replied.

“Well, shit, you’re _old_.”

Looking over, Benny finally saw surprise on that face, and it got Benny laughing out loud. The hunter didn’t join him, but Benny did spot those lips starting to smile. The vampire wanted to see if he could get Dean to ask more questions, but the hunter twitched at a noise to their backs and the next fight was on.

Still, that tiny smile stuck in Benny’s thoughts and he determined that he’d push for Dean to talk more often.

~ ~ ~

It was another of those times that Benny could tell Purgatory was wearing on the hunter. The other man didn’t stumble, but his reactions were slower than usual. No doubt he’d recover soon, but Benny wanted to offer an alternative for once.

“Dean.” He quietly caught the hunter’s attention.

Keeping his eyes peeled for threats, Dean replied, “Yeah?”

“I don’t hear anything nearby.”

That got a confused look and Dean slowed down. “OK?”

Benny nodded over to a steep ledge to the right that would give them decent coverage on one side. “We could take a beat.”

Dean stopped and he looked between the high ledge and Benny with a mix of thoughts darting across his face too fast for the vampire to read. “It’s not safe,” Dean said, but he didn’t start moving again, watching Benny carefully.

“It’s never safe,” Benny agreed. “But we can stop a moment.”

The hunter looked him over carefully. “You tired?” came the quiet inquiry and Benny knew that Dean was projecting to avoid seeming weak. It was obvious, but the vampire played along to keep up the pretense.

“Pretty much always, down here.” Benny tilted his head to the right. “Well?”

Dean hesitated and gave Benny a different sort of look. “You don’t hear anything?”

“Nothin’ nearby.”

Without questioning further, Dean made his way over to the ledge and crouched down with his back to the rocky cliff and his blade in hand. He watched as Benny also made his way over and settled close, but not near enough to touch. Benny was conscious that he could only push so far and the flicker of understanding and appreciation in those green eyes was worth it. Dean was in a position where he could get up at any moment, but he was still for maybe the first time since he’d been down here, and the relief showed.

“How long you been a hunter?” Benny asked.

Dean’s eyes flickered at him. “Shouldn’t we keep quiet?”

The vampire shook his head. “Talking might cover up that heartbeat of yours a bit. Draws too much attention.”

The other man nodded and followed up with, “Been hunting since I was a kid.”

That made sense. “Your dad a hunter, too?” he guessed.

“Yeah, and my mom, but she wasn’t around long enough to teach me.”

Now that was more than Benny had been expecting him to share and Benny gave him a genuinely sympathetic look. “Sorry to hear that, chief.”

Dean gave a half-shrug. “It’s all right. I had my dad, and I have my brother.”

Benny noted the past tense for the father and hummed with interest. “Your brother hunt, too?”

“Yeah, Sammy and I have been hunting together for most of our lives. Dad raised us in the life.” Dean hesitated again, but continued, “Sam almost got out of it. Went off to become a lawyer and got into Stanford Law School.”

There was a blend of grief and pride there that Benny wasn’t sure how to figure out, so he questioned further. “That a good school?”

Now there was a more definite look of pride on the hunter’s face. “Yep, one of the best. I mean, it’s not the kind of thing for a hunter, but Sammy’s a smart one.”

“Didn’t pay much attention to schools myself, back on Earth, though I got an education,” Benny admitted. “Did you go to school?”

Dean’s smile twisted into something self-deprecating. “Naw, barely got my high school diploma. College wasn’t for me.”

His tone implied that he wouldn’t be enough to get in, but Benny was willing to bet that was more a lack of interest than smarts. He could tell that the hunter was clever, but Dean also seemed like the type to enjoy more _active_ pursuits. “So, what got your brother out of school?”

“Our dad went missing and I went to Sam for help.” Dean looked around warily but stayed where he was. “I probably shouldn’t have pulled him back into the family business. But our family doesn’t have much luck on our side; he would’ve been brought back anyway, one way or another.”

Benny smirked a bit. “That’s some ‘family business.’”

A crooked grin. “That’s right; saving people and hunting things is what we do.”

“Your brother still up topside?”

“Yeah.” Dean frowned a moment, looking worried for a change. “We were in the middle of taking down Leviathans, but we ganked the big bad so he should be all right. Wouldn’t put it past him to get into more trouble though.”

Huh, that was something else. Leviathans were the top dogs down in Purgatory and most monsters tried to stay off their radar. It had been a relief when they’d disappeared for a while and apparently, he had this hunter to thank for their return. Still, it was impressive. “Leviathans aren’t easy to take down,” Benny complimented.

Dean looked over in unhidden surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to hear anything positive coming from the vampire. Pushing past that quickly, he smirked. “Yeah, I’m awesome.” Benny chuckled low and Dean quirked a smile back at him. Moving on, the hunter asked, “You ever fight one down here?”

“Naw, messing with them is known as a bad idea. Better to avoid them where possible.”

The other man nodded. “They caused a whole lotta trouble up top. Too bad we can’t get any sodium borate down here, that gets them.”

Benny looked over with interest. “Anything else kill ’em?”

“Cutting off the head will slow them down. That’s about it.”

That was good to know. They’d already stayed still for quite a bit, though. “We should probably get moving again.” Dean nodded and they got up and started off once more.

“Is it better for you when I talk?” Dean asked abruptly.

Benny cocked his head at him, puzzled. “Better?”

The hunter patted his chest. “My heartbeat. Does talking distract you from it?”

Oh, that was unexpectedly considerate. “Doesn’t make a difference, really… Haven’t been hungry like that in a long time. It’s easy for me to ignore.”

The hunter eyed him before nodding. “OK.”

They kept walking and several minutes later Dean started humming quietly. Benny smiled. He didn’t know the tune, but when Dean stopped his humming, Benny started whistling.

He inwardly cheered when Dean smiled back at him.

~ ~ ~

“There’s something about this place…” Dean mused aloud one day, in between fighting.

Benny rolled his eyes. “It’s a shithole filled with monsters?”

Dean rolled his eyes back at him, which got Benny grinning. “Naw, there’s just something that’s pure about it, y’know?”

“That last critter get you upside the head?”

“Ass.”

Benny just smirked and waited for Dean to explain.

The younger man shrugged and said, “I’ve been training to hunt monsters my whole life. And down here it’s like, the essence of everything I trained for. No other distractions, just the fight.”

Benny hummed in thought. The hunter wasn’t wrong, but… “You don’t miss the ‘distractions?’”

Dean considered it a moment. “Maybe some; this place could use more pie, for one.”

The vampire tried to muffle his laugh as Dean sent him a cheeky grin. “Y’know, I make a mean pecan pie,” he offered suddenly, hardly thinking through what he was suggesting.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up and Benny wondered if he’d somehow overstepped. He supposed the hunter may have just planned on killing him after escaping Purgatory. It frustrated him—knowing this would likely be his only chance—but it also made him a little sad. Still, there was a niggling hope that Dean would honor his word. And it didn’t change the fact that Benny actually _would_ enjoy sharing a pie with this interesting man.

It wasn’t until Dean shook his head and muttered, “of course you do,” that Benny realized he was worried about the hunter rejecting the idea. His words weren’t necessarily approval, but Benny had found that Dean wasn’t shy about speaking up when he didn’t like something.

Benny noticed that Dean no longer kept as much distance between them, after that. He hid a broad smile every time he thought about it.

~ ~ ~

They could hear it nearby and silently coordinated their attack by coming at the monster from both sides. Only Benny hadn’t realized what exactly it was before they made their move and it almost cost them dearly.

The creature was a siren. There weren’t many down here and they didn’t hold much sway in Purgatory, since their powers were mainly based on manipulating bodies to get what they wanted, not souls. Only this time, there was something physical to manipulate.

By the time Benny got around the ridge, the siren had already affected Dean with whatever Purgatory-equivalent of an oxytocin cocktail it had, and it was obviously thrilled at the discovery of a human in this world.

“Oooo, such a pretty thing,” it cooed, stroking Dean’s cheeks with its sharp nails, overenthusiastic in its excitement. They left bright scratches on the man’s skin, but he didn’t react, seemingly enthralled.

“Get away from him,” Benny growled out, clenching his fist.

“No, no, no, vampire.” It shook its head, not looking away from its prize. “You can’t keep this one all to yourself. It’s been so long since I had a meal as fine as this.” The siren made a gesture and Dean began to undo his jeans, arms jerking like a marionette.

Benny growled again, advancing with his makeshift axe. That’s when the creature turned and gripped a hand around Dean’s throat. Benny stopped.

“Little vampires need to share, or I’ll break his toys,” it sang out.

“You can’t have him, bitch,” he spat back, but didn’t move forward.

The siren laughed. “Oh, I think I can. Can’t I, handsome?” It petted Dean enthusiastically, who still couldn’t fight back. Benny hated seeing the dullness in those eyes. “Get down, baby. I want to play. I haven’t had this in _ages_.”

The hunter was forced to lay down as it took over the removal of his pants. Licking its mangled lips, the siren rubbed against Dean’s cock, making the man groan with want and the creature drank it up with glee.

It was fast. But it was distracted, and Benny was faster. Once it had its eyes off him, Benny charged forward and managed to tackle the monster to the side, slicing it open with a piercing shriek. He may have given it a few extra blows for good measure, but the siren was good and dead.

As he turned around, Benny saw Dean coming out of the trance, rubbing at his face before meeting the vampire’s gaze. Eyes widening in recognition, Dean scrambled to get upright and fix his pants. Benny turned away politely, though he did briefly wish that he’d had a better view before the hunter saw him looking.

It was quiet for a moment, with only the rustling of cloth and a zipper put back into place. Then Benny heard Dean come closer. He was about to ask how the hunter was feeling when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and Dean’s arm lay along his own. Eyes wide, the vampire looked at the hunter, who was mere inches away.

“Thanks, man. I owe you one,” Dean told him, sincerely.

Moving slowly, so that Dean had time to withdraw if he wanted, Benny twisted to grasp Dean’s shoulder in return. “I got your back, brother,” he promised.

The hunter gave him a crooked smile and squeezed Benny before releasing him and turning away. “Let’s keep moving, then.”

Benny’s shoulder felt warm the rest of the day.

~ ~ ~

They were both good fighters, but it was inevitable that they would lose the upper hand from time to time. Purgatory was always a struggle and some days had Benny extremely grateful that they made it through at all.

A group of vampires had them surrounded and managed to separate Dean from Benny with sheer numbers. Benny listened closely to keep track of Dean’s fighting but was occupied with several monsters of his own. They were particularly vicious, and it was taking a long time to whittle down their mass.

Benny was still holding his own against three vamps when the apparent leader of the group started taunting him.

“Got more fight than I would’ve expected, traitor,” the vampire drawled, a grimace on his face. “What’cha got goin’ for you, huh? Just die already.”

“And make it easy on you? Naw,” Benny bit out, slashing at the closest vampire.

The leader stalked around as two of his crew tried getting around Benny’s axe. “I’ve heard about you over the years. Stalkin’ opportunist,” he sneered. “Jumped right to the human side once one showed up, didn’t ya?”

Benny didn’t deign a response, as he had to swing himself around to avoid one vampire’s teeth. He saw her eyes blazing as she tried grabbing his arm and he got a slice by her cheek.

The group leader made a move then, targeting Benny’s knees with a sturdy branch that managed to knock the Southern man back a bit. There were dense bushes behind him, and it was clear now that Benny was boxed in. He could still hear Dean busy fighting whatever was left of the crew and frowned. Things weren’t looking good.

It looked like the other vampires knew it too, and their tall leader began to gloat.

“Jus’ you wait, traitor. We’ll rip you apart in no time. Then we’ll take your little human and make him share anythin’ and _everythin’_ he was offerin’ you.”

“Ah, somebody’s jealous,” Dean interrupted.

The vampires startled at the new threat and Dean quickly sliced one head off, evening the playing field. With that fortunate timing, Benny renewed his struggles against the woman vamp and Dean advanced on the leader. The vampire tried to dodge, but Dean cut him off and threw him against a tree, bringing his blade to the leader’s throat.

“ _Human_ ,” the vampire spat out in frustration, tense against the metal.

Dean chuckled darkly. “Not exactly an insult to me.”

“You and your pet are gonna pay eventually.”

Dean edged his blade to the side, drawing blood from the vamp. “Benny is no ‘pet,’” Dean growled.

Benny was able to strike down the woman in that moment and allowed himself some surprise at Dean’s words. Turning toward the pair, he watched carefully as the hunter held back the struggling leader.

“He’s a traitor to his kind.” The vampire still tried to look defiant, but the effect was spoiled as he grimaced beneath Dean’s blade.

“Might be something to do with your attitude,” Dean stated condescendingly, “and Benny’s worth a hundred of you.” With a quick chop, the hunter removed the vampire’s head and there was silence.

Dean wiped down the blade on the dead vamp’s shirt before turning around and meeting Benny’s gaze. He arched an eyebrow as Benny continued to stare at him before smiling and shaking his head.

“Don’t let it go to your head, Dracula.” Despite his words, there was affection in Dean’s tone and he even elbowed Benny’s side in a teasing nudge.

Benny returned it with a grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Harker.”

Dean chuckled. “Thought I’d be Van Helsing, actually.”

“Naw.” The Southern man shook his head. “Van Helsing was an old man; if not Harker, maybe Quincey Morris.”

“Who?” Dean looked puzzled.

“The Texan, right? But he died at the end, so Harker’s a better bet,” Benny mused.

Dean still looked confused. “I don’t remember a Texan in the movie. And I thought Van Helsing was in his thirties or something?”

It was Benny’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Naw, he was much older in the book. Don’t think I ever got around to seeing the Lugosi film, come to think of it.”

“Oh, right—fifty years,” Dean snapped his fingers. Having figured it out, he started walking again, looking out for more monsters but willing to keep talking, as they left the bodies of their latest battle behind them. “I haven’t seen the older films, so I guess they cast Van Helsing younger in the more recent stuff. Wanted him to seem more badass, probably.”

“So, you think you’re a badass?” Benny teased.

“Just saved your ass, didn’t I?”

The cheeky look on Dean’s face had Benny chuckling. “That you did, brother. That you did,” he concurred.

Dean grinned at the acknowledgment and they continued through Purgatory, the hunter humming as he went and the vampire backing him up.

~ ~ ~

They had perfected their fighting until it was almost like a dance. Benny and Dean would circle, covering each other’s back while decimating whatever creatures were attempting to take them on. Benny would get the strangest urges to swing the hunter around by the hand or pattern his steps in time to the whistling he often did, to make it even more than a mimicry of a rhythm. But even though he was beginning to see the signs of friendship with Dean emerge into something real, that might be taking it too far. Still, he did wonder from time to time what the other man’s reaction would be (his more optimistic imaginings had Dean letting out his bright laugh and joining in).

For now, however, their partnership was focused on the more deadly aspects. They were taking down a pack of “gorilla-wolves,” as Dean called them. Nasty things, but not terribly difficult to handle a couple at a time. It must have been tricky on his own, though—Benny remembered Dean saying that he’d landed in a pack of them when he first arrived. What a difference, now, as the hunter and the vampire sliced through them like butter.

Dean cut down the last of them with a triumphant cry and stood there a moment, panting. Benny turned toward him, and they were close enough that the vampire’s arm pressed tight against the hunter’s. And Benny nearly salivated at what he saw.

The other man’s pupils were dilated with excitement and his chest heaved with each breath. He was still vibrating with leftover adrenaline from the fight and his mouth was spread in a broad grin, satisfied from bringing down the pack and riding the high of victory. Even with the blood and grime, Dean was gorgeous like this. The hunter didn’t back away from Benny’s touch, either, leaving them pressed together in easy companionship and Benny was so close…

He took a breath, smiling back at Dean even as he heard that human heart pumping hard, still not settled. Benny drank in the other man’s presence and was about to back off when he paused. The look on Dean’s face was easy and happy and even welcoming and Benny couldn’t help edging in just another inch, drawn in by that beauty and his hand started moving up towards Dean’s waist.

There was a sudden shift in Dean’s stance that made Benny freeze and look into those tempting green eyes again. The hunter gave Benny a quick study, clearly recognizing Benny’s intentions. The vampire had little time to wonder whether he was about to be punched (or sliced, he didn’t even know) as Dean reached up to grasp Benny’s shoulder, _hard_. Dean gave him a long look, Benny tense with anticipation. Shockingly, the other man’s expression wasn’t repulsed or anything else Benny might’ve feared; if Benny wasn’t mistaken, that look was _interested_.

It didn’t seem to be enough, however, because with a last tight squeeze, Dean released his shoulder and stepped back. Dean’s breath was calming down even as he watched Benny carefully, maybe looking to see how the vampire would react to the rejection. Benny felt cooler now that the heat of the hunter’s body wasn’t pressed up against him, but he eased his stance to match Dean’s and forced himself to relax. It was a damn shame, but if Dean didn’t want to go there, wasn’t much Benny could do about it. There’d been a brief moment of hope, though, looking into those bright eyes, and Benny hadn’t felt anything like that in a very, very long time. He sent a wry look to the hunter.

Dean grinned back and moved to wipe his blade on some of the spare clothing hanging off one of the corpses per his usual post-fight clean up. With a wide view to encompass the area, Dean joked as he stood up again, “Could make a great vacation spot if it weren’t for the infestation, wouldn’t it?”

Benny chuckled and shook his head. “Sure, just have the exterminator swing by and have your honeymoon here.”

“Naw,” Dean drawled. “Not nearly enough pie here to celebrate any honeymoon of mine.” He started walking again, humming cheerfully. The look sent Benny’s way was almost coy.

The Southern man couldn’t tamp down that spark of hope in his chest. Maybe the hunter didn’t want to take any steps in that direction down here, but maybe… Just, maybe.

~ ~ ~

In a way, Benny was glad that they were getting closer to the angel. Lingering in Purgatory these past months was having some unsavory effects on Dean, where that dark side of him came out more and more as he interrogated his way on their hunt. The sleepless, unfed days and nights in this place weren’t good for the human, and Benny knew that it could and _would_ unravel the other man eventually. So, when they reached the river and turned the bend, it was partly a relief to know their hunt was over.

“Cas!” Dean exclaimed next to him and Benny could see the figure crouching down by the water, the light of that heavenly being glowing more to his eyes than anything he’d ever seen down here.

Benny kind of hated Castiel on sight.

He hated him a little more as Dean made his way down the bank to grasp the angel in a tight hug, easy as anything, and chucked Castiel’s jaw to tease about the beard. It had taken _ages_ for Dean to accept basic contact with Benny and here _they_ were, all cozy. Benny was uncomfortably aware that this was jealousy rearing its ugly head, so he kept quiet and paid close attention to this “friend” of Dean’s.

When the angel started to run his mouth about sanity, however, Benny couldn’t quite hold back anymore. “Why’d you bail on Dean?” The hunter protested but the vampire wasn’t having it. “The way I hear it, you two hit monster land and Hot Wings here took off. I figure he owes you some backstory.”

“Look, we were surrounded, OK?” Dean immediately defended. “Some freak jumped Cas, obviously he kicked its ass, right?”

When the angel corrected the hunter, Benny felt a surge of satisfied justification that was short-lived when he saw how it upset Dean. When Castiel managed to explain that he was attempting to keep the Leviathans off Dean’s trail, that was where Benny felt sour again. It sounded like the truth, unfortunately, but it wasn’t a particularly good excuse in Benny’s eyes. Even if the angel was leading the Leviathans on a merry chase, what had he expected to happen to the hunter? Without Benny, they didn’t know about the exit; Dean would have just fought and fought on his own until a monster eventually got the better of him. Castiel had basically left Dean to die alone instead of with a friend at his side.

But Benny looked over at the hunter and knew that the angel was forgiven anyway. When Castiel told Dean to leave him be, that was the most encouraging thing Benny had heard in some time.

“Sounds like a plan, let’s roll.” The vampire started to turn away.

“Hold on, hold on,” Dean requested before facing the angel, looking to reassure him. “Cas—we’re gettin’ out of here. We’re goin’ home.”

“Dean, I can’t.” The angel looked grim and Dean countered him.

“You _can_. Benny, tell him.”

With a sigh, Benny grudgingly complied, “Purgatory has an escape hatch. But I got no idea if it’s angel-friendly.” Part of him hoped it wouldn’t be, out of spite, but it didn’t make much difference in the end.

“We’ll figure it out.” Dean appealed to the angel, making Benny’s teeth grind at the pleading tone. “Cas, buddy, I need you.”

And that was it; whatever the angel’s protests or his reluctance, it didn’t matter in the face of Dean’s unwavering goal. The hunter’s loyalty knew no bounds and Benny saw how this would play out. He resigned himself to it even as he knew he’d keep telling Dean what an idiot he was for taking this on.

~ ~ ~

If there was one thing Benny missed from their pre-Castiel days, it was the genuine conversations that he and Dean had shared. Now that the angel was tagging along, any talking between them had become more argumentative, as though Castiel’s presence changed the person that Dean was supposed to be. Suddenly, it seemed like Dean was trying to live up to certain expectations and Benny hated to see that weighing on the man. It made the vampire more irritable, too, and that certainly didn’t help in keeping things civil.

As they watched the angel taking down the last monster nearby with a bright flash of heavenly light, Benny remarked, “Well, I gotta admit Dean, he has his strong points—but holy hell, if he ain’t a magnet.” Dean knew him well enough that Benny meant the criticism more than the near-compliment.

So, of course, Dean had to argue. “Well, before we found Cas you said it was my _humanity_ that was drawing too much attention.”

“Yeah, that too.”

Dean shot Benny an annoyed look but didn’t say anything further as the angel walked over to join them.

“Well, I think we’re clear for the moment,” the angel noted. Looking down at the nearest body, however, he continued, “It does present a curious curl in the metaphysics, doesn’t it? If you murder a monster in monster heaven, where does it go?”

“And, this is the crazy aunt I wanna take on the road?” he asked Dean, unimpressed with Castiel, as usual.

“I am _not_ your aunt,” the angel intoned. Benny was wickedly amused at Castiel’s fierce rejection and noticed that the angel had made no objection being called “crazy.”

“What, _really?_ ”

“I have no possible relationship to your sibling offspring.”

Benny was beginning to believe that Castiel wouldn’t recognize sarcasm if it danced naked in front of him. “Now, you’re kidding me.”

“Oh, you two are killing me.” Dean looked to the sky in askance.

Now _that_ got Benny’s attention again. Dean really was frustrated with the two of them, but only because he was trying to balance them in a way that they clearly weren’t meant to be with each other. Benny was sure it would ease Dean’s mind if he behaved friendlier to the angel, but that was one lie the vampire wasn’t willing to live. It wasn’t a lie that he wanted _Dean_ to live with either, even if the hunter seemed bent on believing Castiel was worth all this arguing and suffering.

But as Castiel continued to argue with Dean about traveling with them, Benny felt a little lighter. At least in this regard, the angel was on the same page as Benny and tried to appeal to the hunter’s sense of strategy. Benny would give Dean all the facts that he knew in order to ditch the angel, and so backed up Castiel for his point.

“You hear what he’s telling you, Dean?” _Do you hear what_ I’m _trying to tell you_ , he couldn’t say. “Your ‘buddy’ is saying—”

“Listen to me, you undead blood-junkie.” Benny fought back a sigh. Now they were back to name-calling, and not with any of the affection that he’d previously known. Dean stated, “I’m the one with the mojo, I’m the one with the plan. Cas.” Here, the hunter looked hard at his reluctant “friend.” “We’re gonna shove your ass through the eye of that needle if it kills all three of us.”

“Obviously, I’m less than comfortable with that,” Benny remarked wryly and looked away. None of this was comfortable to him, and that was saying a lot, considering their current location. Nothing to do but keep going, however.

~ ~ ~

They were getting closer to the portal, trooping through the woods and fighting off monsters in a deadly little trio. But whenever they weren’t fighting monsters, Dean was now in the habit of fighting with Benny. Mostly about vampires and humans and a whole lotta crap they hadn’t talked about since their early days when Dean was still skittish around him. Benny could see what Dean was doing—avoiding anything personal and trying to regain the distance he’d once had with his travelling companion, only with caustic remarks and jibes rather than silence and suspicion. He was reminding himself that Benny was a vampire and what that meant to the world above. Benny defended himself and tried to reassure Dean about his nonviolent preferences, but the hunter was acting dumb and turning a deaf ear to his words.

Benny was pissed. He was angry at Dean, but he was also angry at himself. Because even as they argued, Benny wanted to close that tense gap and kiss the hunter until he saw sense. If he did it right, maybe it would wake them both from this nightmare world like a goddamn fairytale. If he kissed Dean hard enough, maybe the portal would open right in front of them and he’d cleave so close to the other man that they’d pass through together even without the damn spell. But then he’d see Hot Wings walk by like a dark, grim stain and Benny knew that wall between them would never drop with their present company.

Dean was risking so _much_ to save this stupid angel who kept denying him at every turn. It wasn’t worth it, and it made Benny snap at him, “What does it matter what you believe? You’ve got your head so far up your ass you don’t even realize we’re done for. The angel knows it. We are never gonna make it with him next to us, glowing like a beacon.”

Dean’s face hardened, and Benny wanted to believe that the other man realized Benny was telling the truth. But denial—or pure stubbornness—ran deep in Dean and he stood his ground, even as Leviathans came down on them.

As the first one landed in front of them, Dean didn’t hesitate to take it on. He may be a blind fool, but he certainly didn’t lack courage. Benny looked to see where they might best help him when another one fell behind Benny and Castiel. That was cause for concern as the angel began fighting the second monster and left Benny to look between them.

His first instinct was to take his place at Dean’s side and fight as they’d been doing for nearly a year. Even against these powerful creatures, Benny wasn’t ready to go down without giving it his all, and it made sense to have Dean’s back as he’d promised. But after finding the angel, Benny could easily see where _Dean’s_ priorities lay, and it wasn’t with his own safety.

So, when he saw that Castiel was on the ground, he took advantage of the Leviathan’s distraction and sliced off its head. The angel looked at him with some surprise and Benny gave him a hand up. The angel appeared to be fine and the Leviathan wasn’t moving, so Benny looked over Dean’s way. He’d heard the fighting stop and was confident that Dean won that battle, but it was good to see it with his own eyes.

The hunter had an odd expression as he walked back to Benny and Castiel. Benny wanted to ask about it, but didn’t want to hear the answer with the angel right next to him, so all that came out was, “You good, chief?”

Dean nodded. “Fine.” Another considering look between them. “You two?”

“I am well, Dean,” Castiel confirmed, so formal, as always.

Benny couldn’t help rolling his eyes a bit. He gave Dean a small smile, though. “Nothing to it.” The vampire tilted his head at the dead body. “Guess they’re not such top dogs after all.”

Those beautiful green eyes crinkled in an almost-smile, but otherwise Dean remained serious. “Good. Let’s keep moving before more come along.”

They started their trek again, with Benny leading the way. He still felt unsettled after feeling those powerful beings in his proximity; but more than that, he missed the congratulatory touches and shoulder pats that he’d become accustomed to, fighting with his hunter. Not that he wanted to share that with Hot Wings, but it left Benny feeling a little empty and drained. If those two wound up leaving him here, the change was going to be harder than his first arrival, and Benny had no idea how he’d deal with that.

~ ~ ~

Finally, they could see it.

The portal glimmered up the hill and Benny felt vindicated and relieved that his information was good. But this was also the moment of truth. He turned to Dean and was doubly relieved to see the man wasn’t preparing to fight or abandon Benny. It was truly happening: Dean was giving him a chance to return and it lightened the load that Benny had been carrying this whole journey.

“I’m putting a lot of trust in you, brother,” Benny commented, enjoying the irony between now and his first meeting with the hunter.

“You’ve earned it.”

And damn, if that didn’t warm Benny from the inside. For a moment, he saw the Dean that he’d been getting to know before they’d found the angel. He saw a friend, rather than a hunter, and he hoped with all his undead heart that they wouldn’t be splitting ways as planned, topside. Benny wanted more time with the man in front of him. But all he could do was hope.

In a moment, Dean was murmuring the incantation and Benny felt his soul being pulled into the hunter’s arm. It was disorienting and strange to basically lose all his senses and only feel the most basic presence of flesh and blood enveloping him and holding him in. Maybe it was his imagination, but it still felt like Dean, and Benny was awfully glad to have this man to carry him.

And so, he settled in to wait and see if Dean would get him to the other side.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

THE END

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone else is a mighty _Dracula_ (Stoker) fan, there's a very delightful thread of one reader live-tweeting/reading it here, https://twitter.com/xodrventure/status/1188222250513850373?s=21. It made me laugh so hard. :-D


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